Your trip this time, wasnāt it precisely for the purpose of misleading Du Meng? You couldnāt possibly not know that Du Meng has visited. Why havenāt you asked?
Wasnāt this precisely your goal?
Xie Huai fixed his gaze on Fang Liās eyes, as if he wanted to see through to his genuine thoughts through that pair of eyes.
Fang Li fell silent.
Heād intentionally pretended that nothing had happened specifically because he hadnāt wanted to go through with this useless plot point that was just for the sake of eating meat. He hadnāt in a million years thought that even if he didnāt bring it up, Xie Huai would actually bring it up himselfā¦ā¦
You had to know that in the original story, when facing Yan Suiās interrogation, Xie Huai hadnāt deigned to answer even a single sentence. He disdained Du Meng, and he also disdained Yan Sui. From his point of view, there was no difference between them, and their life and death struggles had nothing to do with him. From start to finish, he stood detached from the matter, coldly looking on.
According to reason, if he himself didnāt ask, Xie Huai wouldnāt speak up.
But, what was the meaning of his actions right now?
Why had he brought up this matter himself?
Fang Li had his misgivings, but he feigned ignorance on the surface. He raised his eyebrows and laughed lightly, āWhat should I be asking you?ā
Xie Huai saw through him at a glance and didnāt have the slightest intention of letting him muddle through. Blandly, he said, āDu Meng came to see me and wanted me to join hands with him to kill you.ā
Fang Li, āā¦ā¦ā
Oh, he couldnāt muddle throughā¦ā¦
Fang Li simply leaned back indolently and gave a teasing laugh, āWhat, you want to kill me together with Du Meng? You wonāt even deign to consider me, it canāt be that youāve actually developed an interest in Du Meng?ā
Xie Huai pursed his thin lips, looking into his eyes.
The pale, wan man with long, narrow eyes had a smile hanging off his lips beheld the whole world in a frivolous manner, but underneath his careless, egotistical words was a visceral certainty. To reflexively speak those kinds of wordsā¦ā¦ He had absolute certainty in Xie Huaiās conduct, that there was no way heād sink into the mire with Du Meng. Perhaps even he himself wasnāt aware of how much he trusted Xie Huai.
Even without asking or looking, he trusted him.
Could this also count as a kind of trust?
Xie Huai suddenly laughed softly. Something even Fang Li was sure he wouldnāt do, heād still felt the need to bring up unnecessarily. To think that he wasnāt even as at ease as Fang Li.
Seeing as everything is within your expectations, then youā¦ā¦
Xie Huai was silent for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth. āThen do you know, Du Mengās real intentions?ā
Fang Liās entire body immediately stiffened. He furrowed his brow, and his expression became grave. The conversation had gone in a direction that was completely out of his expectations! Everyone knew about Du Mengās wild ambitions, so discussing that was no big deal, but youāre even going to talk to me about the fact that Du Meng likes you?
What kind of relationship do we have?
Itās not to the point where we can talk about such private topics, is it?!
In the midst of his daze, he even suddenly had a kind of illusion of drinking beer and eating skewers with his bros as they discussed how so and so was pursuing so and soā¦ā¦
Fang Liās eyebrows were knit tightly, and he deliberated back and forth. He thought there was only one possibilityābecause he had thrown the game somewhat, it had caused the relationship between him and Xie Huai to be less on edge than the original story. Although it hadnāt changed the you-live-I-die type of hostile relationship between them, at least on the surface, things seemed alright, and they could even civilly exchange a couple of sentences. They werenāt on such bad terms as to get along like fire and water at a single glance.
With Xie Huaiās proud and aloof personality, after knowing that Du Meng liked him, he must be disgusted, right? So this was him giving a roundabout reminderā¦ā¦Ā that he didnāt want Du Meng to keep coming over to bother him?
As for him, as an obedient puppy dog, an unrequited pursuer, and an exceedingly possessive, tyrannical demon lordā¦ā¦Ā When hearing that the person he liked had other pursuers, what reaction should he have?
Fang Li abruptly stood up and laughed coldly. āEven if he has any intentions towards you, so what? Donāt think you can escape from this lordās grasp. In this entire lifetime, you can only belong to this lord.ā
Xie Huai, āā¦ā¦ā
Seeing that Xie Huai seemed to have been knocked flat, Fang Li finally felt like heād won a round in this conversation. He raised his chin and added, āIf he really dares make a move on you, this lord will be sure to give him a fate worse than death.ā
Xie Huai thoroughly sank into silence.
He stared blankly at the man in front of him, who appeared truly very angry and indignant over the fact that Du Meng was interested in himā¦ā¦ But at this moment, Xie Huai only felt absurd to the extreme. This person had a thousand stratagems and saw the whole battlefield as clearly as a blaze of fire, and even Du Mengās every move was within his predictions, as if there was nothing that was outside of his calculations. Yet solely on this matter, he was completely baffled, and he couldnāt even tell that the one Du Meng was interested in was himselfā¦ā¦
After a long time, Xie Huai lowered his eyes and gave a low laugh.
Forget it. Those dirty and ugly thoughtsāitās fine if you donāt know them.
Fang Li leisurely returned to his own residential palace. Everything outside was great, except that he couldnāt get used to the beds; his bed in the demonic palace was still the most comfortable.
The System hesitated for a long time, finally haltingly opening its mouth.
ć System: I feel that Xie Huaiās behavior isnāt quite right. Iām worried that the plot is starting to deviate. ć
But Fang Li didnāt pay it much mind and only said carelessly, āNo need to worry. Even if heās in no rush to kill me at the moment because Iāve been treating him fairly well, donāt forget, heās had his cultivation sealed by me and is being imprisoned hereā¦ā¦ The peace right now is only superficial. The process isnāt important; as long as the result at the end doesnāt change, then itās fine.ā
Xie Huai definitely wasnāt the kind of person who could fall in love because of āforce.ā
ć System: But how can you guarantee that the result wonāt changeā¦ā¦ ć
Fang Li laughed. āWanting to make someone love you is hard, but wanting to make someone hate you is easy. So just relax.ā
System: ā¦ā¦? Was that true?
The System wanted to keep asking, but Fang Li didnāt intend to keep explaining and simply lay down on the bed and went to sleep.
This sleep lasted until late the next morning.
The demonic servants began standing in attendance outside early in the morning, not daring to make the slightest noise. Only when Fang Li got up did they respectfully bow their heads and say, āYour Excellency.ā
Before returning last night, heād given out the order for all the sects to convene today for official business.
By this time, all of the demonic cultivators should have arrived already.
But Fang Li wasnāt in even a bit of a rush. Under the two demonic servantsā attendance, he washed his face and rinsed his mouth and dressed, then finally headed toward the side palace, neither quickly nor slowly, to invite Xie Huai to come along.
In the great hall of the demonic palace, the crowd stood in the lower area, their expressions complicated as they murmured in low voices.
Theyād already been waiting for severalĀ shichen, was His Excellency going to come today or not? Wasnāt His Excellency the one who had gathered them? Ever since Yuyi-jun had come to the demonic palace, His Excellency hadnāt been in the mood for official matters for a long time and had never taken the initiative to summon them. Who knew what important issue this was aboutā¦ā¦?
Just as they were in the midst of their discussions, they saw His Excellency arrive with Yuyi-jun in tow.
By now, this strange scene was already commonplace to them. Who would think that just a month ago, theyād still been furious and enraged? These days, if someday Xie Huai wasnāt around, they would actually be more unaccustomed to itā¦ā¦
They recalled that as long as Xie Huai was at the scene, they wouldnāt be able to get anything done, so what was His Excellency summoning them for? It couldnāt be that he was bored and just looking for entertainment?
It wasnāt impossibleā¦ā¦
Fang Li reclined languidly in the chair, his gaze sweeping around the room, flitting past Du Meng who was standing in the front, and hooked his lips.
Du Mengās expression was indifferent as he stood there, his back straight as a mountain ridge, his sharp gaze not hiding or evading.
Fang Li retrieved his gaze, leaning to the side, and spoke coolly, āWhen this lord left the mountain recently, I heard that those old cows at Heavenās Summit1Ā donāt quite know their place. Theyāve been traveling around and visiting the various sects to try to unite the righteous cultivators and attack Hollow Ridge, and theyāre even bragging that theyāre going to destroy all the demons at my Hollow Ridge.ā
The horde of demonic cultivators below immediately revealed indignant or derisive faces, expressing that those old cows were tired of living and were asking to be wiped out to the last.
For a while, the hall was full of filthy curses and jeering, each more extreme than the last.
Fang Li nodded with satisfaction, saying, āSince Heavenās Summit has openly challenged Hollow Ridge, if we donāt teach them a lesson, theyāll think that my Hollow Ridge is scared.ā
Xie Huai furrowed his brow tightly, his expression grave. He looked at Fang Li, not understanding.
Du Mengās expression also became heavy.
Seeing that the jeering was coming to a close, Fang Li raised his hand, gesturing for silence.Ā Then he turned his gaze, full of smiles as he looked at Du Meng, his tone lifting slightly. āThe Right Adjutant is still the one this lord relies on the most. The matter of exterminating Heavenās Summit will be left to the Right Adjutant. Certainly, you wonāt disappoint this lord, will you?ā
As soon as Fang Liās words settled, the entire crowd held its breath, fearful and complicated gazes drifting between Du Meng and Fang Li. The hall was so silent that even a pin drop could be heard.
Heavenās Summit was one of the worldās five great righteous sects, and its strength could not be looked down upon. Furthermore, they were Zenith Sky Creedās sworn nemesisā¦ā¦ If His Excellency were to lead the demonic horde to battle himself, amassing the hundreds of demonic sects to attack Heavenās Summit with the strength of numbers, there was hope of conquering them, just like last time at Cloudbank Keepā¦ā¦
But if Du Meng alone was sent on this mission, then it was no easy task.
Du Mengās Zenith Sky Creed hadnāt been able to take out Heavenās Summon in the last few hundred years, so how were they going to be able to do it now all of sudden? Besides, the righteous sects were on high alert these days, jumping at the slightest movement. If they were really allowed to unite, and the righteous sect cultivators won in numbersā¦ā¦ it was hard to say which side would be the one to be eliminated!
Taking into consideration how His Excellency had just wiped out Rending Heart Gate a few days ago and had seized the spirit stone quarry, perhaps he really did mean to strike at Du Meng, and he was purposefully sending the members of Zenith Sky Creed to their deaths in order to weaken Du Mengās influence at Hollow Ridge?
For a while, everyone was afraid to make a sound, cautiously peeking at Du Meng.
Fearful of drawing disaster upon their heads.
Du Meng tightly clenched the blade at his waist, his eyes frigid as an abyss. His gaze swept past Fang Liās throat, infuriated to the point of laughter. Hahā¦ā¦
Xie Huaiās brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He knew Du Meng and Fang Liās relationship was conflicted, but if Fang Li wanted to continue to make use of Du Meng, he should be using conciliatory methods to appease him; if he didnāt intend to leave Du Meng around, he should temporarily stabilize Du Meng on the surface, then give him a fatal strike and eliminate him at the root, notā¦ā¦ Go about things like this, in such a high-profile manner, closing in on him at every step without leaving any breathing room.
Previously, Fang Li had pretended to dote on him to get Du Meng to take the bait, so Xie Huai had thought Fang Liās purpose was the latter. But today, Fang Liās actions once again overturned his conjectures.
Continuously provoking Du Meng yet not striking the fatal blow like this was truly akin to raising a dangerous beast. If he were arrogant and conceited enough to think that he could play around with Du Meng, he could easily end up burning himself.
Xie Huai didnāt think Fang Li was that kind of fool. Making such decisions with absolutely no benefit, to the point that theyāre self-contradictingāwhy are you doing so? Could you really not know how dangerous this isā¦ā¦?
Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was becoming more and more stagnant, Xie Huai spoke with his brow creased. āYouā¦ā¦ā
But Fang Li suddenly clasped his hand, interrupting his words, his tone relaxed yet brooking no dispute. āIāve already made my decision on this matter, no need to continue speaking on it.ā
This was the first time Fang Li had refused him.
Xie Huai looked into the otherās pitch-black eyes. The expression in them was firm, and the rest of Xie Huaiās words halted. In the end, they remained unspoken.
At this, Fang Li finally smiled at Xie Huai.
He knew what Xie Huai was worried about. Xie Huai was the protagonistĀ shouĀ whose heart was full of mercy! He definitely wouldnāt want the righteous and demonic sects to go to war, bringing tragedy to the world. But you neednāt worry even a hair, this battle canāt be fought! Du Meng isnāt an idiot who can be toyed around with. Fully aware that he was being sent to his death, how could he really obediently go forth?
Before killing Fang Li, Du Meng would definitely reserve his forces and wouldnāt rashly go to war with the righteous sects.
Moreover, Xie Huai had just hinted to him yesterday that Du Meng had intentions toward him. As a madman who loved to get jealous, if he didnāt teach Du Meng a lesson, wouldnāt he be a rather cowardly, good-for-nothing demon lord?
Fang Li turned his head, looking at Du Meng without the slightest trace of fear, ignoring the murderous aura in his eyes, and waited for his response with a smile hanging from his lips.
Du Meng narrowed his eyes as he looked at Fang Li. After a long time, he slowly loosened his grip on his blade and grinned broadly, his eyes ice-cold like a viperās. āVery, well.ā
Fang Li let out a satisfied smile, then stood up. āThen weāll await the Right Adjutantās good news.ā
The crowd watched Fang Liās back as he departed, their expressions complicated. In their hearts, they thought, this time His Excellency wouldnāt even listen to Xie Huai, stubbornly going down his own path. It seemed like things were about to get serious, and who knew how Du Meng was planning to respondā¦ā¦
They were afraid Hollow Ridge was about to see a new day!
On the other hand, Fang Li was in a pretty good mood, his footsteps light. This part of the script was advancing rather smoothly.
In the original story, Yan Sui had ordered Du Meng to attack Heavenās Summit in this way. Although Du Meng had agreed on the surface, heād quietly seethed in his heart, and his patience had reached its limit. When the time came, he hadnāt hesitated to collude with the righteous sects to deal with him. He was only giving Du Meng an opportunity. Hopefully Du Meng wouldnāt disappoint him and his hard work and would properly follow the scriptā¦ā¦
Now that todayās official business was over, was it time to go make up for lost sleep, or to have a meal? Fang Li was a little bit lost in thought when he suddenly felt a grip on his wrist. At the scorching warmth, he turned his head in astonishment and saw Xie Huai tightly gripping his wrist, his brows furrowed as he looked at him steadily.
Xie Huaiās thin lips moved slightly, and he slowly spoke. āWhy are you doing this?ā
Donāt you know that youāre playing with fire? Or are you really so certain, so unafraid of Du Mengās retaliation and revenge?
Fang Liās expression became a bit astounded. Xie Huai never took the initiative to touch him, what was up with him today? It couldnāt be that he was angry over his decision? Maybe soā¦ā¦ After all, he was ordering Du Meng to destroy Heavenās Summit! The demonic sects were going to mindlessly slaughter innocents againā¦ā¦ No righteous cultivator could tolerate it.
But it wasnāt like he could say, donāt worry, Du Meng and Heavenās Summit wonāt be able to go to war. He murmured to himself for a moment, then revealed a disdainful, arrogant expression, saying, āThis lord will do whatever he pleases. Besides, since Heavenās Summit dares to utter such mad ravings, then they should know the consequences.ā
Oh? Is that really so?
Xie Huai was almost angered to the point of laughter. He glanced at Fang Li coldly. Do you even believe your own words?
Butā¦ā¦ What kind of relationship did they even have? On what grounds could he even demand Fang Li to tell the truth?
Xie Huai inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He suddenly let go, then turned and left with brisk strides.
Fang Li watched Xie Huaiās silhouette depart, lifting his hand to rub at his reddened wrist. Ah, Xie Huai had used quite a bit of strength. Ohā¦ā¦ Butā¦ā¦
Anger was good, anger was fantastic!
Heād really killed two birds with one stone today. Fang Li was even more satisfied.
Because Xie Huai was unhappy, Fang Li simply didnāt go over to Xie Huaiās these days to avoid adding to his displeasure and to give him some peace and quiet alone.
Seeing that its host was becoming a couch potato again, the System was full of worry every day. Before, the host had said he was going to make Xie Huai hate him, but exactly what was he talking about? It couldnāt be that he meant the matter with Heavenās Summit? But every time it asked, the host would always say wait a bit, wait a bit longerā¦ā¦
So in the end, was the host thinking about the plot or not?
Fang Li was extremely idle these days, living a life of luxury at the demonic palace. Occasionally, he would wander around the mountain, inspecting the state of Hollow Ridgeās affairs a bit, or going to the seaside cliff at the back of the mountain to fishā¦ā¦
Today, Fang Li had in his grip a fierce demonic fish with round, thoroughly red eyes and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth when halfway along the road, a man with a head full of white hair but a handsome complexion stopped him.
Fang Li pondered for just a moment before he recognized that this was the Hehuan Sect sect master. He immediately reinvigorated himself, knowing that an important plot point was about to happen.
The Hehuan Sect sect master smiled flatteringly and bowed. āThis subordinate pays respects to His Excellency.ā
Fang Li had on an impatient appearance, walking as he spoke. āIs something the matter?ā
The Hehuan Sect sect master had bribed one of the guards on the mountain in order to get word of Fang Liās whereabouts. He had put in quite a bit of effort to wait for Fang Li here, and he knew he only had this one chance. Without any hesitation, he said, āThis subordinate has a precious treasure to present to His Excellency!ā
āOh?ā At this, Fang Li finally stopped his feet, looking at him pensively.
The Hehuan Sect sect master bent at the waist, raising up his hands high above his head. Cupped in his hands was a transparent bead, and inside the amber-like bead was a pair of beautiful golden insects.
The Hehuan Sect sect master said, āThis is our sectās signature treasureāthe Entangling Threads Love Parasite.2Ā Itās different from ordinary love parasites, and only our sectās generations of sect masters can raise them. This subordinate has used much blood and sweat and has only been able to rear this one pair. It can make the person who ingests the child parasite develop an unwavering heart toward the owner of the mother parasite, obeying his every command. Even the most stubborn, unyielding fellow will become obedient and well-behaved, allowing the owner to do with him as he pleases.ā
The Hehuan Sect sect master paused slightly, carefully peeking at Fang Liās expression. Seeing Fang Liās interested expression, he thought delightedly, those fellows just donāt understand matters of love. They canāt see that His Excellencyās feelings toward Yuyi-jun are unrequitedā¦ā¦ But even if they were able to tell, they wouldnāt be able to do anything about it. Previously, the Broken Blade Sect sect master had wanted to suck up to Xie Huai, but hadnāt he also been beaten back?
In order for the flattery to hit the target, one had to know what His Excellency really wanted.
For this matter, other than himself, no one could help His Excellency.
At this thought, the Hehuan Sect sect masterās heart blazed even hotter. His eyes revealed an ingratiating look, and he smiled meaningfully. āHis Excellency only needs to have Yuyi-jun ingest the child parasite, and as the owner of the mother parasite, Yuyi-jun will be unable to defy you, powerless to leave you.ā
Fang Li beckoned, grasping the pearl in his hand, and let out a slow, low laugh. āGood! If this thing truly works, this lord will be sure to reward you heavily.ā